Another year, another New Year’s resolution to read all the books I’ve been putting off reading for the last five years or so. It’s always the same story: “This year I’m going to do it! I’m going to do more yoga and learn French and finally read War and Peace!” Well, after almost two months […]

Definitions are funny things. In the publishing world, a work of fiction is often defined by its word count: a short story is so many words, a novel is so many words, anything in between is, depending on who you ask, a novella or a novelette or unpublishable. In reality, of course, there are plenty […]

Some books are pure fun, their thrills basic and comprehensible, like a hot dog. Some are more complicated, subtle, and challenging, like a fine wine. It’s perfectly natural sometimes to choose a simple read over something that will require a highlighter and some serious Google skills, but if you’ve been avoiding some challenging authors, now’s […]

The novel is a big canvas. It allows for complexity and a deep dive into character—ample space for readers to explore and contemplate. The price for this experience is time—it can take several hours to several months to read a novel, depending on its girth. It’s easy to assume a short story would be less […]